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Fire in Huge Bangladeshi Mall Kills 1, Injures 20
Thousands flee blaze as 20 hospitalized
By Matt Cantor
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Posted Mar 13, 09 9:03 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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A fire swept through Bangladesh's largest shopping mall today, killing a security guard, the AP reports. Some 10,000 shoppers poured outside the building and 20 were hospitalized, CNN notes. The blaze broke out on the 18th floor of the capital's 22-story Bashundhara City mall; flames spread to other floors despite efforts by firefighters in 15 fire trucks, an official said.
Rescuers are searching the mall for anyone left behind; police don’t know how many may remain. "There is no scope of getting information from the inside so far," said a police commissioner. The mall is said to be the biggest in South Asia and the 12th largest worldwide, receiving some 25,000 shoppers daily.